SUV Review: 2010 Audi Q5

Originally published: September 16, 2010

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I’ve never quite understood why, but Audi’s V6s have always been underperformers. Smooth they have been and very sophisticated in comportment, but there has always been a little softness in the punch department. A cursory glance at a spec sheet might not reveal the problem, Audi’s V6s — first 2.7, then 2.8 and 3.0 and, finally, 3.2 litres — have usually boasted enough horsepower, the usual evaluator by which automotive engines are judged.

But they have always been somewhat deficient in low-end torque, that ability to twist a crankshaft with sufficient vigour to move a heavy sedan or SUV away from a stoplight with alacrity.

The most pathetic vehicle I have ever tested is not some woefully underpowered hybrid or even the little three-cylinder Forsa that Suzuki used to peddle but an old 2.8L Audi Avant. The two-valve V6 was seriously deficient in the torque department, plus Audi had geared the station wagon for fuel economy and the combination quite literally had trouble getting out of its own way. Imagine a little Honda Insight engine in an E-Class-sized sedan and you have an idea of how almost dangerously slow this beast was.

More recent versions have been better, but a BMW or Mercedes six of the same displacement almost always displayed a little more grunt (though not necessarily more peak horsepower). That’s why, on many of Audi’s smaller vehicles, I have long recommended the company’s little 1.8T and 2.0T engines, their smaller displacement more than compensated by their turbochargers and usually producing gruntier performance than the company’s mid-sized V6s.

No more.

The latest rendition of Audi’s 3.2L is more than punchy enough, even when saddled with the added avoirdupois of the Q5 SUV I’m driving. Credit the FSI direct fuel injection system, which allows higher compression — always a boon to low-end torque — or the latest Valvelift variable valve timing mechanism, which allows Audi to tailor its camshafts for both high-rpm horsepower and low-end torque. The result is 270 horsepower and, more importantly, 243 pound-feet of torque at a lowish 3,000 rpm. The numbers may still not be class leading, but they are nonetheless stellar.

You really notice the benefits driving the Q5 around town. Audi’s mid-sized SUV is no lightweight — its curb weight is a rather healthy 1,925 kilograms.

But instead of a matted throttle and high revs to get it moving briskly, the 3.2L manages more than sufficient acceleration with just a whiff of the loud pedal and moderate revs. It makes for a more relaxing drive than when things are spinning and gnashing, giving the Q5 a more relaxed atmosphere than, say, the more vibey Mercedes GLK350. Is it a match for BMW’s turbocharged 3.0L in-line six? No. Nor is it as smooth. But it is more than powerful and smooth enough, which is more than I could say about previous Audi sixes.

The Q5 also gets kudos in most other departments. It’s better-looking than BMW’s first-generation X3 (though the spinning propellor company’s recently revealed refresh is simply smashing) and a little more sophisticated than the Mercedes. The handling is, well, adequate, which is about the most you can hope for in a mid-sized, mid-priced luxury SUV (with the possible exception of the somewhat unfortunate-looking Bimmer that always made up for its ugly body cladding with exceptional road holding). Of course, it’s all-wheel drive, Audi’s quattro system on hand to help extricate you from sticky situations (and, SUV owners, please remember that AWD can only help, it cannot overcome the laws of traction and physics). The Q5 also has a measure of off-road worthiness, Audi claiming more than 150 millimetres of suspension travel and, thanks to relatively short overhangs, a 31-degree approach angle.

Like all recent Audis, the Q5’s major advantage is an interior fit and finish that has forced its luxury competitors to pick up their game. The leather seats are roll-around-naked soft and the plastic/wood/cloth trim is of superior quality. The various switchgear, though monotonously similar to other Audis, is well organized if not quite simple and the MMI on-board controller is more intuitive than most similar systems except for its tendency to scroll in the opposite direction to the knob twiddling (at least, counter to MY intuition).

In terms of practicalities, the interior boasts enough legroom, usually the bane of these smaller SUVs, and the rear seats are heated on the Premium model. Even the trunk, largish at 29.1 cubic feet (with the rear seats in situ), has a fairly low load floor and is well shaped for cargo. There’s even a power rear hatch feature, once a rarity in mid-priced SUVs.

On the other hand, the Q5 is not exactly mid-priced. Its $48,600 MSRP, while not outrageous, is still somewhat higher than the base price of the Mercedes GLK and BMW’s X3. My tester, with options — a very worthwhile Bang & Olufsen stereo, the S-Line sport package and Audi’s navigation package — rang in at $55,600, but it’s rather easy to get the entire plot above $60,000, dangerously close to X5 and LR4 territory. Call it the price of progress.